How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?

The world's human population is growing too fast for the planet to sustain it. But just how many more people can exist on Earth until it reaches its breaking point? That's the central question of How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?, a sobering BBC documentary production which is hosted and narrated by internationally acclaimed naturist Sir David Attenborough.

The film argues that mankind is inadvertently setting itself up for a supreme reckoning. A series of experts from the United Nations and other global organizations set the groundwork for this dilemma. They conclude that one of the major contributors to our impending peril lies in the many medical innovations which have permitted substantially longer life spans for the human race. As a result, populations have skyrocketed continuously since the 1800s. This presents a fascinating dichotomy: our distinction may be brought on in part by the very same advances that have ensured our longevity.